Residence Pierre et Vacances Premium L'Amara

We loved the staff, who were all lovely and accommodating, and we’ll definitely return to Avoriaz. The village is stunning and easy to get around with kids. There are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, ski hire and gear shops, plus activities like a sledding area, mini ice rink, water park, bowling alley and cinema. We didn’t try those because we skied every day. If you need a taxi, you can call for a horse and sleigh. We stayed over February’s midterm break in a two-bedroom lodge for six, with two adults and three children. The price felt excessive for that week, and I don’t think we’d pay it again. We’d read that some rooms had been refurbished, but ours hadn’t and the carpets had big stains. The kitchen was tiny, with room for one person. Using the pullout sofa made the living area and kitchen very cramped, so we kept moving things around to make room for sleeping and meals. The upstairs bedrooms were tight too. Nearly all the bedroom and bathroom doors got in the way and should have been sliding doors. The online photos showed a much bigger kitchen. When I asked reception, I was told the photos were only examples. That felt misleading, especially since it shouldn’t be hard to show the right photos for each type of lodge. We also suggest providing shampoo instead of a tiny shampoo and soap bar that doesn’t work. A single small box of washing-up liquid, one bin bag and one soap bar isn’t enough for a week. For thousands per week, we expected a week’s supply of bin bags, shampoo and toilet paper. The free spa has a pool, saunas, hammam, showers and lockers. There’s also a more private spa section for adults, bookable for a two-hour slot at an extra cost, with an outdoor hot tub, hammam, sauna, interactive rain shower, lounge and lockers. The property is huge, with several buildings connected underground, so you can get from your lodge to the spa without going outside. There’s a pool table, kids’ club and bar in reception, and a SkiSet rental shop right outside. We arrived on Sunday and there were hardly any skis left, so I’d suggest booking ahead for a Sunday arrival. The ski lockers are downstairs. Their heaters worked every time, and our boots were dry each morning, which was a relief as it snowed all week. The Proclou ski run starts just outside. It divides into a green and blue run and leads to the Proclou chairlift. From there you can reach the snow park, Lindarets area and some ski school areas. If you miss Proclou, there’s an uphill walk of about seven minutes within the Amara area, then you can ski down to the Plateau chairlift or take other blue runs such as Crot. Avoriaz is pedestrianized, and our transfer dropped us at the Welcome Centre right beside the property. We walked no more than four minutes with our bags. Other families had big green sleds to pull their luggage, which seemed available to use, but we carried ours.

The setting is beautiful, but the value for money is terrible. At €900 a night, the rooms in this “five-star” place feel like basic dorms. The spa and pool are small and overcrowded, and it takes a 15-minute walk through freezing corridors to get there from your room. Amenities are basic, and there were major delays: we couldn’t check in until 5 pm. Don’t be taken in by the photos.

The whole residence was spotless, and our room was very clean and well equipped. We had an excellent week, helped along by the weather. Our complaints were that the bar shuts very early, at 8:45 pm, and the gym isn’t set up for strength training. Both weight machines were broken and looked like they’d been that way for a while. A few kettlebells or free weights would make the gym much better.

Definitely one of the best ski stays we’ve had, with fantastic views and easy ski in, ski out access. If you like to self cater, you won’t be disappointed. For adult ski lessons, leave enough time to walk or ski to the meeting point, or take a horse and sled.